I want to post a couple articles that were written by students, that really affected me. The first is written by a student named Mursal Hamraz, from Afghanistan. I asked her permission to share it on my blog, because she is absolutely brilliant, and her writing captures the inexpressible hardships that she and other students have faced in order to come study here. The second article is written by another Afghani student, Farida Royesh, about her trip to Kuwait for a conference. She represented AUW and Afghanistan, and discusses her appreciation for the opportunity to learn. If only every student valued that chance as much as these women do...
"I was only four years old when Taliban came and captured Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan in 2000. As we had our own home in Kabul, my father was a police officer so he planned to move to Baharistan-Kabul for our safety. I still remember that day; there were a river along with the big rocks Mountain and rivers. As we were young, the adult stand in the rocks in one side of the river and pass the children to other side of the river side like a volley ball. When we reached Baharistan Kabul, we, the girls, were not allowed to go to school because Taliban believes that women should not study if they are Muslim. I am very familiar with my religion; there are no such words that say that Muslim women cannot go to school.
Taliban are not a real Muslim; they are only misusing our religion, our country and us. Taliban do not merely belong to Afghanistan, everyone knew that Taliban are also from Pakistan, Iran and Arabian countries and perhaps from other countries as well. But when there is attacked in Pakistan, why do the Pakistan government blame Afghanistan? Why don’t they just blame Taliban? Why do they blame Muslim? What is our fault of being Muslim? (Thinking for a while and making her big round eyes bigger) We, the women from Afghanistan demand our respect from Taliban.
Currently, not only Taliban are attacking nation and making the security worsens but the foreign armies are also responsible for it. We have already lost our friends, relatives and neighbors from them. I still remember 20 August 1998; the US planes attacked several villages by using 75 cruise missiles and destroyed the villages killing all the children and women who have nothing to do with war. Later US armies mentioned that one of the Taliban Members informed them and said that they are using that village as a shelter. Are the Taliban that much stupid to inform the US army and tell them that they are hiding there? Why the US armies do not think an alternative way to find the truth of the phone call instead of killing innocent civilians?
However, my sister, Frozan, a first year student at Kabul University, started to teach the girls from various grades in our small room. We did not want anyone to know that my sister was teaching school subjects because the Taliban would have killed her. At that time, Taliban’s were living in front of our house and saw that there were many girls in and out every day from our house so finally the Taliban came to our home and asked question to my sister, Frozan Why are the girls coming in your house? Then my sister replied that I am teaching them Holly Quran. The Taliban’s were so happy after hearing from my sister. When we were walking on the street, the Taliban used to ask us to say the Holly word, if we didn’t know the Holly word, they would beat us; no matter we are boys or girls.
Therefore, even though the extreme circumstances hindered me from continuing my studies, I was lucky enough to get chance to study at my home. During the Taliban’s ruling, we were asked to wear black dress and white scarf in our heads whereas boys were asked to wears big turban on their head and tame long beard. Actually, I didn’t remember the exact date but after the Taliban’s rule, we continued our school. The schools still follow single education system. However, after the completion of schools, many girls stop their education because the universities follow co-education system. Parents think that it is not good to send their daughters to university where both, girls and boys are taught together.
It was 7 am in the morning; I was combing my hairs to go to Shereno High school. I heard a huge blast and my home… my home was shaking…. (Pause)….I didn’t know what happened so I went to school. In the school, I came to know that they were many students of my age, who were killed in suicide bomb in the public bus. Students were coming to school to study and make their dream true. How will the parents feel when they knew that their children have been killed in a suicide bomb attacked? What is the fault of those school students who has nothing to do with Taliban? Why do they have to give up their life? There were also some workers who were waiting for people to come and take them to their house for any constructional work every day. They were waiting hours and hours but finally when the bus stopped, the attacker attacked it. They were also killed in that blast. There were about fifty people including school children who were killed in a suicide bomb attack.
Women were the most vulnerable group during the time of Taliban. Women were kidnapped and used for bomb blasts and suicide attack. If the kidnapped women hesitated to involve in suicide attack or support them, they were raped and killed ruthlessly. Women do not have choice at all. Luckily I was small, so I didn’t become the victim even if I didn’t wear scarf on my head. The situation of women in Afghanistan is still getting worst. We have many peacekeepers from Russia, USA and many more countries, what did they do? I know they are also working hard to keep security. But what actually have they done to keep the peace in the country? We all have to think about this? What happened from all of these UN peace keepers, were they able to keep peace in our country? Instead, we become the victims, we don’t want any more. We do not want any war, three decades of war in Afghanistan is too much.
I am not against the Taliban, neither against US or UN, but I am telling the truth. Despites all of these, there are some things that only Taliban were able to do. When Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they did everything they can to make people feel secure. When there was robbery, Taliban cut the hands of robbers and hang it in the public places. After the situation, there was no robbery at all in Afghanistan. We feel safe wherever we go.
We are getting lots of foreign aids but where does the money go? We are still in the same position. If I were a government, I would open a university only for women so that girls will not have to stop their education after the school. Additionally, Afghanistan depends on others countries to import products. Thus I wanted to open an organization which will produce good qualities clothes so that many people will have a job and parents will have money to send their children to school.
Although there is much discrimination against women, my father supported me in every steps of my life. Hence, today I am here at AUW to become an Engineer and study without any fear. I wish all the sisters get same opportunities like mine for their studies."
--Mursal Hamraz
""One candle loses nothing if its light, kindling another," (Mawlana Jalal-uddin Balkhi, Rumi).
My trip to Kuwait was a light of AUW candle, which kindled a learning path for the rest of my life. My speech at the AUW Kuwait conference at Araya Ballroom, Marriott Hotel was successful because I was conscious about my passion for learning. At 9 p.m Ms. Warda Al-Khatib, Ms. Lulwa’s nephew, opened the conference with a brief introduction on AUW activities and appreciated the guests for their further support of Women education in Asia. After that, Mr. Tony Blair, Ms. Lulwa Al-Mulla, and Mr.Kamal Ahmed gave their speeches. All of them emphasized on a common topic that educating women leaders for Asia will solve lots of conflicts and social problems in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, and similarly other south Asian countries.When Mr.Kamal Ahmed’s speech finished we watched a video on designing the future AUW campus. During the break, I was reviewing my memories of Listening and Presentation class. I recollected smiley faces of my classmates and their attention, while I was giving a presentation. This memory also reminded me of Mr. Jordan’s comments after each presentation about having proper stress, pause, and intonation in our speeches. At that time, I felt much gratititude and honor to Ms Kathy, the director of Access Academy, who instructed me how to prepare an outline and a final draft of my speech. Besides, she tought me how to be honest with my feelings, how to be natural and how to maintain dignity and politeness in a communication. For this reason, when I was called for speech, I willed myself not to show any artificial emotion and to be honest with my feelings, while I was delivering my speech.
This is a text of my speech:
"Honorable guest, Mrs Cheri Blair and AUW community,
My name is Farida Royesh. I am an Asian University for Women, Access Academy student from Afghanistan. I would like to share my experience as a member of AUW community with you. Before that, I want to give you a brief background of my life.
Honestly, I didn’t have a childhood. I was born at a turbulent time in a remote village of Afghanistan, when Mujaheden were in power. My father was a writer and his ideas were controversial according to some groups. For this reason at the age of 4, we immigrated to Islam Abad, Pakistan.
Between the age of 4 and 6, I felt like I was trapped in a prison. My only entertainment then was setting by a narrow window in my bedroom, watching Pakistani children playing outside. However, I was determined not to waste those years. So, I studied to read and write fluently in the persian language.
When the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan improved, I was able to enroll in the fourth grade at Marefat High School. My classmates were much elder than I was. Most of them were between the ages of 18 and 25 and carpet weavers by trade. In my make shift school, there were no crayons, color pencils, and peers to play with. Instead, I studied subjects like Anthropology, Democracy, and Human rights.
At the ripe age old of 13, I graduated from Marefat High School. I briefly attended Economics faculty at Kabul University. Yet, their academic programs didn't encourage creativity and critical thinking. Finally it was in 2009, when I was informed by Marefat High School about Asian Unviersity fo Women. At first, my family did not approve the idea of me going to AUW, but I was firm in my convictions.I told my family about what I had searched about AUW and how AUW mission would allow me to challenge my abilities. Thus, I succeeded to convince them and soon was on my way to Bangladesh.
On the way from Dhaka to Chittagong, the view of my train window was that of poor people and crying children. I was really disheartened but I willed myself not to lose my passion for education. When my fellow Afghan classmates and I finally arrived at the train station, we saw a tall energetic woman, about 1, 85 meters, with short blond hairs approached and greeted us. Ms.Jill, introduced that she was an Access Academy teacher.She told us funny jokes and truely listened to us. When we arrived at the AUW, where there were more smiley faces, warm hugs, and kind greetings from studetns from all over Asia. It was then that I realized indeed I had made the right decession of coming to AUW.
I don't forget my first day at AUW, when I met a fellow student Ha Menju, a Chinese girl at the IT lab. At first, I was really shy and afraid to talk with her. I wondered how it would be possible for me to be her classmate. Above all, she was from China, a powerful, rich country which gives economic aid to Afghanistan. However, through classes, dorm relations, and friendly sharing, I realized that we have more similarities then differences.
AUW has also made me see my world differently thanks to friendly sharing and discussions in dining hall and dorms. Students at AUW are allowed to discuss our ideas, religious and culture with each other. For example, I remember the day that I was shocked by a question from a student from Bhutan, who asked me if Osama Ben laden is from my province. I was shocked but answered her that no, Osama is an Arab not an Afghan. Similarly, once I was surprised to hear that the future king of Bhutan is a University student. Before, I only read about kings and queens in fairy tales and had no idea that modern days royalty even study abroad to earn their Master degree or phD. The point is that at AUW, no question is stupid; we are frree to ask questions, therefore learn about our world.
I look forward for my daily classes in Quantitative Reasoning, Reading and Writing, Listening and Presentaion, and Grammar skills. I also attend some extracurricular activities like karate, in where I learn self-defense and creative writing, in where I learn self-expression. I am also a member of peace club, which helps me to grow spiritually in the company of my budhist, christian, muslim and hindu sisters. All these activities helped me to grow as a student and as a woman.
Thanks to AUW, my dreams are alive, attainable and limitless. Now, more than ever I feel responsibilities on my shoulders. I can see clearly how I am obligated to become an ethical leader and give back to my community. Now, I have new sisters form Bangladesh, Bhutan,China, India, Mayanmar, Nepal, Srilanka, Pakistan, Veitnam, USA and of course from my native Afghanistan. I believe in their support and I believe that one day we will shape the future."
While delivering this speech, I realized that education is a learning process, which starts with passion.
If we consider education as a learning process, any sightseeing, interaction, and story telling will become a profound lesson for us. Similarly, since I realized that education is my passion, my attitude toward surroundings has become deeper. In the second day of our trip, Haneen ( my fellow student from Palestine) and I, both went out of hotel to visit Persian and Arab Gulf. The view of blue wide sea was fantastic and overwhelming for me. I could hear what the energetic waves of the sea were telling me: make your mind to flow, never stop! Thus, I took a hand full of the beach sand to give to Ms.Victoria ( my reading & writing instructor). I was not able to pass the message of the waves to her. However, the sands were more capable than me to remind her of the waves’ immortal murmuring. Beside the message from the sea, I learned the next new lesson from interacting with Sara, a Kuwaitian journalist, who took our interviews. While she was asking us some questions regarded to Asian University for Women, our life before AUW and after that, I was surprised of her energy in keeping fast-talking with giving clear intonations to each group of words. Not only her clear intonation but also her deep concentration on each word that we were responding, was inspiring for me. I did not feel being investigated, instead I understood how a mature journalist creates a report by integrating wisely the time management skills, energy, clear speech, and deep concentration on the subject. At the evening, Ms. Masooma, Ms. Lulwa’s friend, Ms. Lulwa herself, Haneen, and I went out for shopping. On the way to market, Ms. Masooma told us about her family story and complained about the current support policy of the government from young generation. She praised Haneen and me for our commitment for learning. In contrast, she gave us information that Kuwait government provides each young girl and boys with high financial support, which is more than the retirement money of her as a manger of a company. This policy led to cause less interest among young generation for higher education or even school programs. They have enough investment for their future; there is no need to worry about further progress in their financial or spiritual growth. I had never assumed before that excessive financial growth might cause failure of education value in one’s life. Above all, I had never dreamed that one day I would learn three profound lessons only in one day: flow for mind; integration of time management skills, energy, clear speech, deep concentration, and importance of having passion for education.
The last event I remember from Kuwait trip is a lunch party at Ms.Lulwa Al-Mulla’s home. The unique, ancient decoration of home, delicious food and talking with many honorable personalities were heartwarming, which made the final day in Kuwait a useful experience for me. Ms. Lulwa is not only a role model for women entrepreneurs but also for mothers. She was behaving as an ordinary person yet I realized her unique personality in her warm, maternity welcoming to the invited guests. The sweet smell of white rose, which were placed around wooden, ancient mirrors with appetizing smell of Arabic rice has made the environment friendly. Not only the food and the nice, natural decoration of the house but also the theme of discussion among the guests were learning for me. They started their discussion about the situation of Palestine, continued to Kuwait parliament, and came back to AUW undergraduate program. When the party ended Haneen and I returned to Marriott Hotel and got ready to fly back to Chittagong.
In the conclusion, I want to restate the strongest points I learned from Kuwait trip. I will never forget my experience of the speech, which helped me to realize the value of having passion for education. Also, I will remember the sight seeing around Kuwait city and Arab Gulf, which helped me to understand the reason for having passion for education, the value of active mind and integrated time management, concentration and clear speech, and at last a memory of Ms. Lulwa’s maternity. In the other words, now I can see clearly how I am obligated to AUW community, where I found the opportunity to kindle the light of understanding and learning for the rest of my life. Above all, now I can understand what Mawlana Balkhi, Rumi was trying to say me: “One candle loses nothing if its light, kindling another.”"
--Farida Royesh
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